U.S. patent number 10,899,446 [Application Number 16/113,577] was granted by the patent office on 2021-01-26 for unmanned aerial vehicles with interchangeable wing modules.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Textron Innovations Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is Textron Innovations Inc.. Invention is credited to Dakota Charles Easley, Levi Charles Hefner.
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United States Patent |
10,899,446 |
Hefner , et al. |
January 26, 2021 |
Unmanned aerial vehicles with interchangeable wing modules
Abstract
An unmanned aerial vehicle has an airframe having first and
second wing modules with first and second pylons extending
therebetween. A thrust array is coupled to the airframe including
two propulsion assemblies coupled to each of the first and second
wings. An electric power system is operably associated with the
thrust array and operable to provide power to each propulsion
assembly. A flight control system is operably associated with the
thrust array and operable to independently control the speed of
each propulsion assembly. Each wing module is selected from a
plurality of wing modules each having a respective function and
each interchangeably couplable with the first and second pylons to
enable the airframe to support the functions of the plurality of
wing modules.
Inventors: |
Hefner; Levi Charles (Wichita,
KS), Easley; Dakota Charles (Dallas, TX) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Textron Innovations Inc. |
Providence |
RI |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Textron Innovations Inc.
(Providence, RI)
|
Appl.
No.: |
16/113,577 |
Filed: |
August 27, 2018 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20200062391 A1 |
Feb 27, 2020 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B64C
3/56 (20130101); B64C 39/024 (20130101); B64C
2201/102 (20130101); B64C 2211/00 (20130101); B64C
2201/104 (20130101); B64C 2201/028 (20130101); B64C
2201/042 (20130101); B64C 2201/165 (20130101); B64C
2201/141 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B64C
39/02 (20060101); B64C 3/56 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Sanderson; Joseph W
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Lawrence Youst PLLC
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An unmanned aerial system comprising: a modular airframe
comprising: a plurality of interchangeable upper wing modules each
having a respective function and an airfoil cross section; a lower
wing module having an airfoil cross section; and first and second
pylons each having top and bottom ends, the plurality of
interchangeable upper wing modules interchangeably mountable to the
top ends of the pylons to enable the airframe to support the
respective function of a selected one of the plurality of
interchangeable upper wing modules, the lower wing module mounted
to the bottom ends of the pylons; a thrust array coupled to the
airframe including first and second propulsion assemblies coupled
to the selected interchangeable upper wing module and third and
fourth propulsion assemblies coupled to the lower wing module; an
electric power system operably associated with the thrust array and
operable to provide power to each propulsion assembly; and a flight
control system operably associated with the thrust array and
operable to independently control the speed of each propulsion
assembly; wherein, each of the plurality of interchangeable upper
wing modules comprises a pylon mounting interface configured to
form pivot joints with the top ends of the pylons to enable
rotation of the pylons relative to the selected interchangeable
upper wing module; and wherein, in a flight configuration, the
selected interchangeable upper wing module is parallel with the
lower wing module and the first pylon is parallel with the second
pylon such that the airframe has a rectangular cross section.
2. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 1 wherein the
plurality of interchangeable upper wing modules comprise an
autonomous navigation system wing module including a navigation
system.
3. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 1 wherein the
plurality of interchangeable upper wing modules comprise a remote
navigation system wing module including a navigation system.
4. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 1 wherein the
plurality of interchangeable upper wing modules comprise a sensor
system wing module including one or more sensors.
5. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 1 wherein the
plurality of interchangeable upper wing modules comprise a
communication system wing module including a wireless communication
system.
6. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 1 wherein the
plurality of interchangeable upper wing modules comprise a cargo
storage wing module forming a storage bay.
7. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 1 wherein the
plurality of interchangeable upper wing modules comprise a flight
control system and electric power system wing module including a
flight control computer and one or more batteries.
8. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 1 wherein the
pivot joints comprise pivot locks configured to selectively lock
rotation of the pylons relative to the selected interchangeable
upper wing module.
9. An unmanned aerial system comprising: a modular airframe
comprising: an upper wing module having an airfoil cross section; a
plurality of interchangeable lower wing modules each having a
respective function and an airfoil cross section; and first and
second pylons each having top and bottom ends, the upper wing
module mounted to the top ends of the pylons, the plurality of
interchangeable lower wing modules interchangeably mountable to the
bottom ends of the pylons to enable the airframe to support the
respective function of a selected one of the plurality of
interchangeable lower wing modules; a thrust array coupled to the
airframe including first and second propulsion assemblies coupled
to the upper wing module and third and fourth propulsion assemblies
coupled to the selected interchangeable lower wing module; an
electric power system operably associated with the thrust array and
operable to provide power to each propulsion assembly; and a flight
control system operably associated with the thrust array and
operable to independently control the speed of each propulsion
assembly; wherein, each of the plurality of interchangeable lower
wing modules comprises a pylon mounting interface configured to
form pivot joints with the bottom ends of the pylons to enable
rotation of the pylons relative to the selected interchangeable
lower wing module; and wherein, in a flight configuration, the
upper wing module is parallel with the selected interchangeable
lower wing module and the first pylon is parallel with the second
pylon such that the airframe has a rectangular cross section.
10. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 9 wherein the
plurality of interchangeable lower wing modules comprise a remote
navigation system wing module including a navigation system.
11. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 9 wherein the
plurality of interchangeable lower wing modules comprise a sensor
system wing module including one or more sensors.
12. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 9 wherein the
plurality of interchangeable lower wing modules comprise a
communication system wing module including a wireless communication
system.
13. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 9 wherein the
plurality of interchangeable lower wing modules comprise a cargo
storage wing module forming a storage bay.
14. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 9 wherein the
plurality of interchangeable lower wing modules comprise a flight
control system and electric power system wing module including a
flight control computer and one or more batteries.
15. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 9 wherein the
pivot joints comprise pivot locks configured to selectively lock
rotation of the pylons relative to the selected interchangeable
lower wing module.
16. An unmanned aerial system comprising: a modular airframe
comprising: a plurality of interchangeable upper wing modules each
having a respective function and an airfoil cross section; a
plurality of interchangeable lower wing modules each having a
respective function and an airfoil cross section; and first and
second pylons each having top and bottom ends, the plurality of
interchangeable upper wing modules interchangeably mountable to the
top ends of the pylons to enable the airframe to support the
respective function of a selected one of the plurality of
interchangeable upper wing modules, the plurality of
interchangeable lower wing modules interchangeably mountable to the
bottom ends of the pylons to enable the airframe to support the
respective function of a selected one of the plurality of
interchangeable lower wing modules; a thrust array coupled to the
airframe including first and second propulsion assemblies coupled
to the selected interchangeable upper wing module and third and
fourth propulsion assemblies coupled to the selected
interchangeable lower wing module; an electric power system
operably associated with the thrust array and operable to provide
power to each propulsion assembly; and a flight control system
operably associated with the thrust array and operable to
independently control the speed of each propulsion assembly;
wherein, each of the plurality of interchangeable upper wing
modules comprises a pylon mounting interface configured to form
pivot joints with the top ends of the pylons to enable rotation of
the pylons relative to the selected interchangeable upper wing
module; wherein, each of the plurality of interchangeable lower
wing modules comprises a pylon mounting interface configured to
form pivot joints with the bottom ends of the pylons to enable
rotation of the pylons relative to the selected interchangeable
lower wing module; and wherein, in a flight configuration, the
selected interchangeable upper wing module is parallel with the
selected interchangeable lower wing module and the first pylon is
parallel with the second pylon such that the airframe has a
rectangular cross section.
17. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 16 wherein the
selected interchangeable upper wing module comprises a flight
control system and electric power system wing module including a
flight control computer and one or more batteries and wherein the
selected interchangeable lower wing module comprises a sensor
system wing module including one or more sensors.
18. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 16 wherein the
selected interchangeable upper wing module comprises a flight
control system and electric power system wing module including a
flight control computer and one or more batteries and wherein the
selected interchangeable lower wing module comprises a
communication system wing module including a wireless communication
system.
19. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 16 wherein the
selected interchangeable upper wing module comprises a cargo
storage wing module forming a storage bay and wherein the selected
interchangeable lower wing module comprises a flight control system
and electric power system wing module including a flight control
computer and one or more batteries.
20. The unmanned aerial system as recited in claim 16 wherein the
pivot joints comprise pivot locks configured to selectively lock
rotation of the pylons relative to the selected interchangeable
upper and lower wing modules.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
The present disclosure relates, in general, to unmanned aerial
vehicles that are operable for mission specific optimization and,
in particular, to unmanned aerial vehicles having interchangeable
wing modules operable to optimize the unmanned aerial vehicle with
enhanced capabilities matched to a specific mission.
BACKGROUND
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), also known as unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAV) or drones, are self-powered aircraft that do not
carry a human operator, use aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle
lift, are autonomously and/or remotely operated, may be expendable
or recoverable and may carry lethal or nonlethal payloads. UAS may
be used in military, commercial, scientific, recreational and other
applications. For example, military applications may include
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions as well as
attack missions. Civil applications may include aerial photography,
search and rescue missions, inspection of utility lines and
pipelines, humanitarian aid including delivering food, medicine and
other supplies to inaccessible regions, environment monitoring,
border patrol missions, cargo transportation, forest fire detection
and monitoring, accident investigation and crowd monitoring, to
name a few.
Recently, military organizations have indicated a desire for small
unmanned aircraft systems that are operable as soldier borne
sensors (SBS). Such soldier borne sensors should be easy to
transport without putting a weight burden on the soldier and simple
to deploy yet be capable of continuous flight during certain
adverse conditions for minutes or hours. In addition, such soldier
borne sensors should be capable of remote and/or autonomous flight
in an operating theater of hundreds or thousands of meters
including, for example, visual line of sight operations. Further,
such soldier borne sensors should be capable of providing real-time
information relevant to the area immediately surrounding the
soldiers, enabling the soldiers to assess and respond to the most
eminent threat and/or rapidly changing threats.
SUMMARY
In a first aspect, the present disclosure is directed to an
unmanned aerial vehicle that includes a modular airframe including
upper and lower wing modules each having an airfoil cross section
and first and second pylons coupled between the upper and lower
wing modules. The upper wing module is substantially parallel with
the lower wing module and the first pylon is substantially parallel
with the second pylon such that the airframe has a substantially
rectangular cross section. A thrust array is coupled to the
airframe including first and second propulsion assemblies coupled
to the first wing module and third and fourth propulsion assemblies
coupled to the second wing module. An electric power system is
operably associated with the thrust array and is operable to
provide power to each propulsion assembly. A flight control system
is operably associated with the thrust array and operable to
independently control the speed of each propulsion assembly. The
upper wing module is selected from a plurality of upper wing
modules each having a respective function and each interchangeably
couplable with the first and second pylons to enable the airframe
to support the functions of the plurality of upper wing
modules.
In some embodiments, the upper wing module selected from the
plurality of upper wing modules may be an autonomous navigation
system wing module, a remote navigation system wing module, a
sensor system wing module, a communication system wing module, a
cargo storage wing module, a flight control system and electric
power system wing module and/or combinations or permutations
thereof.
In a second aspect, the present disclosure is directed to an
unmanned aerial vehicle that includes a modular airframe including
upper and lower wing modules each having an airfoil cross section
and first and second pylons coupled between the upper and lower
wing modules. The upper wing module is substantially parallel with
the lower wing module and the first pylon is substantially parallel
with the second pylon such that the airframe has a substantially
rectangular cross section. A thrust array is coupled to the
airframe including first and second propulsion assemblies coupled
to the first wing module and third and fourth propulsion assemblies
coupled to the second wing module. An electric power system is
operably associated with the thrust array and is operable to
provide power to each propulsion assembly. A flight control system
is operably associated with the thrust array and operable to
independently control the speed of each propulsion assembly. The
lower wing module is selected from a plurality of lower wing
modules each having a respective function and each interchangeably
couplable with the first and second pylons to enable the airframe
to support the functions of the plurality of lower wing
modules.
In certain embodiments, the lower wing module selected from the
plurality of lower wing modules may be an autonomous navigation
system wing module, a remote navigation system wing module, a
sensor system wing module, a communication system wing module, a
cargo storage wing module, a flight control system and electric
power system wing module and/or combinations or permutations
thereof.
In a third aspect, the present disclosure is directed to an
unmanned aerial vehicle that includes a modular airframe including
upper and lower wing modules each having an airfoil cross section
and first and second pylons coupled between the upper and lower
wing modules. The upper wing module is substantially parallel with
the lower wing module and the first pylon is substantially parallel
with the second pylon such that the airframe has a substantially
rectangular cross section. A thrust array is coupled to the
airframe including first and second propulsion assemblies coupled
to the first wing module and third and fourth propulsion assemblies
coupled to the second wing module. An electric power system is
operably associated with the thrust array and is operable to
provide power to each propulsion assembly. A flight control system
is operably associated with the thrust array and operable to
independently control the speed of each propulsion assembly. The
upper wing module is selected from a plurality of upper wing
modules each having a respective function and each interchangeably
couplable with the first and second pylons to enable the airframe
to support the functions of the plurality of upper wing modules.
The lower wing module is selected from a plurality of lower wing
modules each having a respective function and each interchangeably
couplable with the first and second pylons to enable the airframe
to support the functions of the plurality of lower wing
modules.
In some embodiments, the upper wing module selected from the
plurality of upper wing modules may be an autonomous navigation
system wing module and the lower wing module selected from the
plurality of lower wing modules may be a sensor system wing module.
In certain embodiments, the upper wing module selected from the
plurality of upper wing modules may be a remote navigation system
wing module and the lower wing module selected from the plurality
of lower wing modules may be a sensor system wing module. In some
embodiments, the upper wing module selected from the plurality of
upper wing modules may be a flight control system and electric
power system wing module and the lower wing module selected from
the plurality of lower wing modules may be a sensor system wing
module. In certain embodiments, the upper wing module selected from
the plurality of upper wing modules may be a flight control system
and electric power system wing module and the lower wing module
selected from the plurality of lower wing modules may be a
communication system wing module. In some embodiments, the upper
wing module selected from the plurality of upper wing modules may
be a cargo storage wing module and the lower wing module selected
from the plurality of lower wing modules may be a flight control
system and electric power system wing module.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of
the present disclosure, reference is now made to the detailed
description along with the accompanying figures in which
corresponding numerals in the different figures refer to
corresponding parts and in which:
FIGS. 1A-1F are schematic illustrations of a compact unmanned
aerial vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a compact unmanned aerial vehicle in
accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;
FIGS. 3A-3G are various views of a wing assembly of a compact
unmanned aerial vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the
present disclosure;
FIGS. 4A-4D are various views of a pivot locking shaft for use on a
compact unmanned aerial vehicle in accordance with embodiments of
the present disclosure;
FIGS. 5A-5B are schematic illustrations of a compact unmanned
aerial vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
FIGS. 6A-6B are schematic illustrations of a compact unmanned
aerial vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
FIGS. 7A-7B are schematic illustrations of a compact unmanned
aerial vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
FIGS. 8A-8C are schematic illustrations of an unmanned aerial
vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure;
FIG. 9 is an exploded view of an unmanned aerial vehicle in
accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;
FIG. 10 is an exploded view of an unmanned aerial vehicle in
accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure depicting
alternate wing modules;
FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of a wing module depicting an
electronics module disposed inside of the wing structure for an
unmanned aerial vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the
present disclosure;
FIG. 12 is a block diagram depicting operational components of a
propulsion and flight control system for an unmanned aerial vehicle
in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 13 is a block diagram depicting a navigation system for an
unmanned aerial vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the
present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
While the making and using of various embodiments of the present
disclosure are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated
that the present disclosure provides many applicable inventive
concepts, which can be embodied in a wide variety of specific
contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely
illustrative and do not delimit the scope of the present
disclosure. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an
actual implementation may be described in the present disclosure.
It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any
such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions
must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as
compliance with system-related and business-related constraints,
which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it
will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex
and time-consuming but would be a routine undertaking for those of
ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this
disclosure.
In the specification, reference may be made to the spatial
relationships between various components and to the spatial
orientation of various aspects of components as the devices are
depicted in the attached drawings. However, as will be recognized
by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present
disclosure, the devices, members, apparatuses, and the like
described herein may be positioned in any desired orientation.
Thus, the use of terms such as "above," "below," "upper," "lower"
or other like terms to describe a spatial relationship between
various components or to describe the spatial orientation of
aspects of such components should be understood to describe a
relative relationship between the components or a spatial
orientation of aspects of such components, respectively, as the
device described herein may be oriented in any desired direction.
As used herein, the term "coupled" may include direct or indirect
coupling by any means, including by mere contact or by moving
and/or non-moving mechanical connections.
Referring to FIGS. 1A-1F in the drawings, an unmanned aerial
vehicle having a flight mode and a compact storage mode is depicted
and is referred to herein as aircraft 10. Aircraft 10 may be a
small or mini unmanned aircraft system suitable for use as a
soldier borne sensor. In the illustrated embodiment, aircraft 10
has an airframe 12 incorporating an upper wing 14 and lower wing 16
connected to one another by first pylon 18 and second pylon 20.
Upper wing 14 is pivotably connected to first pylon 18 via first
upper pivot joint 22 and second pylon 20 via second upper pivot
joint 24. Similarly, lower wing 16 is pivotably connected to first
pylon 18 via first lower pivot joint 26 and second pylon 20 via
second lower pivot joint 28. Pivot joints 22, 24, 26, 28 facilitate
rotation about axes parallel to the principal planes of wings 14,
16 and pylons 18, 20 and generally parallel to the principal flight
direction of aircraft 10. Thus, during transition, pylons 18, 20
rotate about axes parallel to the principal forward flight
direction of aircraft 10. In the flight mode of aircraft 10, upper
wing 14 and lower wing 16 are generally and/or substantially
parallel to each other. Likewise, first pylon 18 and second pylon
20 are generally and/or substantially parallel to each other. In
addition, upper wing 14 and lower wing 16 are generally and/or
substantially perpendicular to first pylon 18 and second pylon 20.
Thus, upper wing 14, lower wing 16, pylon 18 and pylon 20 form a
quadrilateral having a rectangular cross section and in some
embodiments, a square cross section.
The components of airframe 12 including upper wing 14, lower wing
16, pylon 18 and pylon 20 may be formed from light-weight,
high-strength materials, including but not limited to plastics,
metals and composites. Plastics suitable for use may include foams,
such as expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam. Metals suitable for use
may include aluminum, magnesium and other lightweight,
high-strength metals. Suitable composites may include fiberglass
fabric, carbon fabric, fiberglass tape, carbon tape and
combinations thereof. Composites may include a plurality of
material layers of varying types and compositions.
In the flight configuration, aircraft 10 has a two-dimensional
distributed thrust array including four propulsion assemblies 30,
32, 34, 36 that are independently operated and controlled by the
flight control system of aircraft 10, as discussed herein. It
should be noted, however, that the distributed thrust array of the
present disclosure could have any number of independent propulsion
assemblies including six, eight, twelve, sixteen or other number of
independent propulsion assemblies. As used herein, the term
"two-dimensional thrust array" refers to a plurality of thrust
generating elements having substantially parallel axes of rotation
forming a two-dimensional array when projected to a plane
perpendicular to their axes of rotation. A minimum of three thrust
generating elements is required to form a "two-dimensional thrust
array." A single aircraft may have more than one "two-dimensional
thrust array" if multiple groups of at least three thrust
generating elements each occupy separate two-dimensional spaces
thus forming separate planes. As used herein, the term "distributed
thrust array" refers to the use of multiple thrust generating
elements each producing a portion of the total thrust output. The
use of a "distributed thrust array" provides redundancy to the
thrust generation capabilities of the aircraft including fault
tolerance in the event of the loss of one of the thrust generating
elements. In the flight configuration, the four independently
operating propulsion assemblies 30, 32, 34, 36 form a
two-dimensional distributed thrust array with each of the
propulsion assemblies having a symmetrically disposed propulsion
assembly. In the illustrated configuration, propulsion assemblies
30, 36 are symmetrically disposed propulsion assemblies and
propulsion assemblies 32, 34 are symmetrically disposed propulsion
assemblies. For torque balancing, propulsion assemblies 30, 36 may
rotate clockwise while propulsion assemblies 32, 34 may rotate
counter clockwise.
As noted, aircraft 10 includes four propulsion assemblies, two for
each of wings 14, 16, that provide vertical lift for aircraft 10 in
the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) orientation of aircraft 10,
as best seen in FIG. 1F, and forward thrust for aircraft 10 in the
forward flight orientation of aircraft 10, as best seen in FIG. 1A.
In the illustrated embodiment, first and second upper propulsion
assemblies 30, 32 are secured to upper wing 14 forward of first and
second upper pivot joints 22, 24, respectively. Similarly, first
and second lower propulsion assemblies 34, 36 are secured to lower
wing 16 forward of first and second lower pivot joints 26, 28,
respectively. As illustrated, propulsion assemblies 30, 32, 34, 36
may be positioned at the leading edge of airframe 12. In alternate
embodiments, propulsion assemblies 30, 32, 34, 36 could be coupled
to the trailing edge of airframe 12. In the illustrated embodiment,
each of propulsion assemblies 30, 32, 34, 36 includes a rotor
assembly and an electric motor powered by electricity from one or
more batteries. In other embodiments, propulsion assemblies 32, 34,
36, 38 may be powered via any suitable power source, including but
not limited to, internal combustion, air pressure or mechanical
energy storage from a liquid fuel source, a compressed gas, a
flywheel or a spring, as examples.
In addition to the specific elements shown, aircraft 10 may include
other functional components, such as a sensor system. Such a sensor
system may include a sensor array having one or more of an optical
camera, a thermal camera, an infrared camera, a video camera, an
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance payload, a GPS system
or other desired sensors. A sensor system may provide real time
images and/or video to the ground station via a communication
system using a wireless communications protocol, which may be
useful when aircraft 10 is operated as a soldier borne sensor.
Alternately, aircraft 10 may store some or all of its recorded data
onboard, to be downloaded upon landing. Further details of suitable
sensor systems are described herein.
Aircraft 10 may be operated responsive to autonomous flight
control, remote flight control or a combination thereof. As an
example, aircraft 10 may use waypoint navigation to follow a trail
of pre-programmed waypoints to accomplish its navigational goals.
Alternatively or additionally, aircraft 10 may be operated
responsive to assisted manual flight based upon commands received
from a ground station via a communication system using a wireless
communications protocol. Aircraft 10 may comprise a flight control
system housed within airframe 12. Such a system may include
non-transitory computer readable storage media including a set of
computer instructions executable by one or more processors for
controlling the operation of aircraft 10. The flight control system
may be implemented on one or more general-purpose computers,
special purpose computers or other machines with memory and
processing capability.
Aircraft 10 is designed to be placed into multiple configurations,
depending on operational demands at a particular time. In FIGS. 1A
and 1C, aircraft 10 is shown in an "open" articulation suitable for
flight with upper and lower wings 14, 16 having a maximum vertical
dimension, with reference to the vertical axis V in FIG. 1A. In
FIGS. 1B and 1D, aircraft 10 is shown in a "closed" articulation
suitable for compact storage with upper and lower wings 14, 16
having a minimum vertical dimension, with reference to the vertical
axis V in FIG. 1A. As used herein, the term "maximum vertical
dimension" refers to the distance between upper and lower wings 14,
16 when aircraft 10 is locked in the flight mode and the term
"minimum vertical dimension" refers to the distance between upper
and lower wings 14, 16 when aircraft 10 is locked in the compact
storage mode. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A-1F, each of upper
and lower wings 14, 16 has a generally planar lower surface
generally defining its principal plane. It can be seen that the
principal planes of upper and lower wings 14, 16 remain generally
parallel to one another in both the open and closed configuration.
In a similar manner, each of pylons 18, 20 has a generally planar
profile defining its principal plane. Further, the principal planes
of pylons 18, 20 remain generally parallel to one another in both
the open and closed configurations of aircraft 10.
While the two wings 14, 16 remain parallel to one another and the
two pylons 18, 20 remain parallel to one another in both
articulations, the geometric relationship between the principal
planes of upper and lower wings 14, 16 and the principal planes of
first and second pylons 18, 20 varies substantially between the
open and closed configurations of vehicle 10. As can be seen in
FIGS. 1A and 1C, in the open configuration, the geometric
relationship between the principal plane of wings 14, 16 and the
principal plane of pylons 18, 20 is one of orthogonality. In other
words, the principal planes of wings 14, 16 and pylons 18, 20 are
disposed at approximately 90 degrees when aircraft 10 is in its
open configuration. This configuration maximizes the vertical
dimension between upper and lower wings 14, 16, thus enhancing
stability and maneuverability of aircraft 10. The geometric
relationship between wings 14, 16 and pylons 18, 20 is quite
different in the closed configuration. As can be seen in FIGS. 1B
and 1D, pylons 18, 20 have been rotated relative to wings 14, 16
such that upper and lower wings 14, 16 have shifted laterally, with
reference to the lateral axis L in FIG. 1A, and have moved
vertically relative to each other. The principal planes of the
wings 14, 16 remain substantially parallel and the pylons 18, 20
remain substantially parallel, however, the principal planes of the
wings 14, 16 and the pylons 18, 20 are no longer orthogonal to each
other in the closed configuration, but are disposed at an acute
angle to one another. In this closed articulation, upper wing 14,
lower wing 16, pylon 18 and pylon 20 form a quadrilateral having
parallelogram shaped cross section. In alternate embodiments, wings
14, 16 and pylons 18, 20 may be substantially parallel to one
another in the closed configuration. In the closed configuration,
the vertical distance between wings 14, 16 is at a minimum, thus
facilitating compact storage.
The exploded view of FIG. 2 further clarifies the relationship of
the various components of aircraft 10 described above in connection
with FIGS. 1A-1F, along with additional functional details. In the
illustrated embodiment, aircraft 10 incorporates first and second
pivot locks 50, 52 to lock aircraft 10 into its current
configuration. Thus, when aircraft 10 is collapsed into its closed
configuration, pivot locks 50, 52 hold aircraft 10 in that
configuration. Conversely, pivot locks 50, 52 will hold aircraft 10
in its open configuration once it is opened. First pivot lock 50
comprises forward locking cam 54, aft locking cam 56 and
compression spring 58. When assembled, forward locking cam 54 is
disposed within forward aperture 60 of first pylon 18. Similarly,
aft locking cam 56 is disposed within aft aperture 62 of first
pylon 18. As will be described in further detail below, each of
locking cams 54, 56 incorporates certain geometric features
operable to fix the orientation of the airframe wings to the
airframe pylons when fully extended by compression spring 58, but
to allow them to rotate when compression spring 58 is compressed.
Similarly, second pivot lock 52 comprises forward locking cam 70,
aft locking cam 72 and compression spring 74. Forward locking cam
70 is disposed within forward aperture 76, while aft locking cam 72
is disposed within aft aperture 78. Locking cams 70, 72 are
designed to lock pylon 20 in place when fully extended by
compression spring 74, but to facilitate rotation when compressed
together.
Referring next to FIGS. 3A-3D, details of a wing module, depicted
as upper wing 14, are disclosed. Upper wing 14 is substantially
similar to lower wing 16 therefore, for sake of efficiency, certain
features will be disclosed only with regard to upper wing 14. One
having ordinary skill in the art, however, will fully appreciate an
understanding of lower wing 16 based upon the disclosure herein of
upper wing 14. Upper wing 14 has an external wing skin that is
formed from an upper skin 90 and a lower skin 92. Upper and lower
skins 90, 92 are rotatably coupled together at a hinge joint 94
that includes two hinge joint elements, one on each side of upper
wing 14. In other embodiments, other numbers of hinge joint
elements may be used, both less than and greater than two. In the
illustrated embodiment, hinge joint 94 is proximate the leading
edge of upper wing 14 and defines a spanwise axis of rotation for
upper and lower skins 90, 92.
Upper skin 90 forms an upper surface of upper wing 14 having a
curved profile. Lower skin 92 forms the leading edge, the trailing
edge and the lower surface of upper wing 14 with the lower surface
having a generally or substantially planar profile. In the flight
configuration of upper wing 14 depicted in FIGS. 3A-3D, the curved
upper surface and the generally planar lower surface of upper wing
14 form an airfoil cross section to facilitate flight. As such,
upper and lower skins 90, 92 provide lift responsive to the forward
airspeed of aircraft 10 when upper and lower skins 90, 92 are in
the flight configuration. Lower skin 92 of upper wing 14
incorporates an array of mounts on its lower surface, including
forward mount 96, forward mount 98, aft mount 100 and aft mount
102. Forward mounts 96, 98 serve as mounting points for upper
propulsion assemblies 30, 32 described herein. Forward and aft
mounts 96, 100 serve as mounting points for first pylon 18. Forward
and aft mounts 98, 102 serve as mounting points for second pylon
20. The construction of lower wing 16 is similar to the
construction of upper wing 14, except that the mounting points are
disposed on the upper surface of wing 16.
Referring additionally to FIGS. 3E-3G, upper wing 14 is depicted in
its access configuration. In particular, upper skin 90 and a lower
skin 92 have been rotated relative to each other about hinge joint
94 such that upper and lower skins 90, 92 are split in the
chordwise direction and such that the distal ends of upper and
lower skins 90, 92 are separated to facilitate access to an
interior cavity 106. Interior cavity 106 may be partially or
entirely formed within lower skin 92. A portion of interior cavity
106 may also be formed within upper skin 90. The flight
configuration of upper wing 14 may be referred to as the closed
position of upper and lower skins 90, 92, while the access
configuration of upper wing 14 may be referred to as the opening
position of upper and lower skins 90, 92. In the open position, a
user is provided with access to some or all of the interior portion
of upper wing 14. Depending on the application, interior cavity 106
may support any components that may serve the mission for which
aircraft 10 may be deployed. These may include operational
components such as an avionics package and/or a sensor package or
non operational components such as a removable payload or
combination thereof.
Although interior cavity 106 is shown as encompassing substantially
the entire internal volume of upper wing 14, those of skill in the
art will recognize that alternate embodiments may employ a smaller
internal cavity 106. Even though a single wing module has been
illustrated as forming an entire wing for aircraft 10, it should be
understood by those skilled in the art that a single wing could be
made up of multiple wing modules having a side-by-side relationship
in which the sides of adjacent wing modules may be in contact with
one another or may be separated by another portion of the wing or a
fuselage. In addition, even though the present wing modules have
been depicted and described with reference to aircraft 10, it
should be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art that
a wing module of the present disclosure could alternatively be used
as all or a portion of a wing for other aircraft including, but not
limited to, fixed wing aircraft, tiltrotor aircraft, tiltwing
aircraft and the like.
The construction of pivot lock 50 will now be discussed with
reference to FIGS. 4A-4D. Pivot lock 52 is substantially similar to
pivot lock 50 therefore, for sake of efficiency, certain features
will be disclosed only with regard to pivot lock 50. One having
ordinary skill in the art, however, will fully appreciate an
understanding of pivot lock 52 based upon the disclosure herein of
pivot lock 50. As noted above, pivot lock 50 comprises forward lock
cam 54, aft lock cam 56 and compression spring 58. Working together
in concert with mating features incorporated into upper wing 14 and
pylon 18, pivot lock 50 secures the articulation of pylon 18
relative to wing 14 when compression spring 58 is extended, while
allowing for rotation of pylon 18 relative to wing 14 when
compression spring 58 is compressed. Forward lock cam 54
incorporates an anti-rotation tip, depicted as hexagonal tip 110,
disposed on the outboard end of shank 112, having a generally
cylindrical profile. Base 114, also having a generally cylindrical
profile, is disposed on the inboard end of shank 112. Lobe 116,
having a generally prismatic shape, is disposed on the periphery of
shank 112 adjacent to base 114. Compression tang 118, having a
generally rectangular profile, is disposed at the periphery of base
114. Shank 112 is shaped and sized to extend through aperture 60 of
first pylon 18 with lobe 116 mating with a matching alignment
feature of aperture 60. Hexagonal tip 110 is shaped and sized to
mate with an anti-rotation aperture, depicted as hexagonal aperture
96, in upper wing 14 when compression spring 58 is extended,
thereby locking the orientation between upper wing 14 and pylon
18.
Aft lock cam 56 incorporates an anti-rotation tip, depicted as
hexagonal tip 120, disposed on the outboard end of shank 122,
having a generally cylindrical profile. Base 124, also having a
generally cylindrical profile, is disposed on the inboard end of
shank 122. Lobe 126, having a generally prismatic shape, is
disposed on the periphery of shank 122 adjacent to base 124.
Compression tang 128, having a generally rectangular profile, is
disposed at the periphery of base 124. Shank 122 is shaped and
sized to extend through aperture 62 of first pylon 18 with lobe 126
mating with a matching alignment feature of aperture 62. Hexagonal
tip 120 engages with an anti-rotation aperture, depicted as
hexagonal aperture 100, in upper wing 14 when compression spring 58
is extended. In the illustrated embodiment, lobe 116 of forward
lock cam 54 is positioned 180 degrees out of phase relative to lobe
126 of aft lock cam 56. In other embodiments, lobe 116 of forward
lock cam 54 may be positioned in other out of phase positions
relative to lobe 126 of aft lock cam 56 or lobe 116 of forward lock
cam 54 may be positioned in phase relative to lobe 126 of aft
lock.
Pivot lock 50 thus couples first pylon 18 to upper wing 14 and
selectively allows and prevents relative rotation therebetween.
Specifically, forward lock cam 54, aft lock cam 56 and compression
spring 58 operate to fix the position of pylon 18 relative to upper
wing 14 whenever compression spring 58 is extended. When spring 58
is compressed, and lock cams 54, 56 are disengaged from their
mating relationship with apertures 96, 98 of upper wing 14, pylon
18 may be freely rotated about pivot joint 22. In this manner,
aircraft 10 may be converted from the open articulation to the
closed articulation, or vice versa, by compressing spring 58 of
pivot lock 50 and compressing spring 74 of pivot lock 52 to enable
relative rotation of pylons 18, 20 relative to upper wing 14. In
the illustrated embodiment, lower pivot joints 26, 28 rotatably
couple lower wing 16 to pylons 18, 20 such that relative rotation
is allowed. Thus, actuation of pivot locks 50, 52 enables
articulation of aircraft 10. In other embodiments, similar pivot
locks may be associated with lower pivot joints 26, 28.
Even though a particular articulation geometry has been depicted
and described, it should be understood by those having ordinary
skill in the art that articulation between a flight mode and a
compact storage mode of an aircraft may be accomplished in a
variety of ways. For example, as best seen in FIGS. 5A-5B, aircraft
150 incorporates upper wing 152 and lower wing 154 connected by an
array of four pylons 156, 158, 160, 162. In contrast to pylons 18,
20 of aircraft 10 shown and described above, each of pylons 156,
158, 160, 162 incorporates a hinge joint 164 at its midpoint. Hinge
joints 164 allow for aircraft 150 to be opened and closed by
translating wings 152, 154 along a vertical axis V (see FIG. 1A)
that is generally orthogonal to the principal planes of wings 152,
154 between a maximum vertical dimension, in the flight mode
depicted in FIG. 5B, and a minimum vertical dimension, in the
compact storage mode depicted in FIG. 5A. In this embodiment,
pylons 156, 158, 160, 162 extend in the outboard direction when
aircraft 150 is closed. Aircraft 150 may be locked in the open and
the closed articulations using pivot locks 166 (only one pivot lock
being visible in the figures) in a manner similar to the operation
of pivot locks 50, 52 discussed above, either alone or in
combination with locking features of hinge joints 164, such as
tightening and loosening hinge joints 164 to prevent and allow
rotation thereof. The operation and functionality of aircraft 150
are otherwise substantially similar to those of aircraft 10.
Aircraft 170, shown in FIGS. 6A-6B, is very similar to aircraft
150. Aircraft 170 incorporates upper wing 172 and lower wing 174
connected by an array of four pylons 176, 178, 180, 182. In
contrast to pylons 18, 20 of aircraft 10 shown and described above,
and similar to the construction of aircraft 150, each of pylons
176, 178, 180, 182 incorporates a hinge joint 184 at its midpoint.
Hinge joints 184 allow for aircraft 170 to be opened and closed by
translating wings 172, 174 along a vertical axis V (see FIG. 1A)
that is generally orthogonal to the principal planes of wings 172,
174 between a maximum vertical dimension, in the flight mode
depicted in FIG. 6B, and a minimum vertical dimension, in the
compact storage mode depicted in FIG. 6A. In this embodiment,
pylons 176, 178, 180, 182 extend in the inboard direction when
aircraft 170 is closed. Aircraft 170 may be locked in the open and
the closed articulations using pivot locks 186 (only one pivot lock
being visible in the figures) in a manner similar to the operation
of pivot locks 50, 52 discussed above, either alone or in
combination with locking features of hinge joints 184, such as
tightening and loosening hinge joints 184 to prevent and allow
rotation thereof. The operation and functionality of aircraft 170
are otherwise substantially similar to those of aircraft 10 and
aircraft 150.
The foregoing embodiments have employed pylons pivoting about axes
generally parallel to the direction of flight, but there is nothing
within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure that is
limited to that geometry. FIGS. 7A-7B depict an aircraft 190
incorporating upper wing 192 and lower wing 194 connected by pylons
196, 198, 200, 202, which are distinct from the pylons of the
foregoing embodiments owing to different axes of rotation. Whereas
the pylons in the embodiments set forth above have been designed to
pivot sideways or transverse to the direction of flight, pylons
196, 198, 200, 202 pivot along the direction of flight about pivot
joints 204, 206. When pylons 196, 198, 200, 202 rotate relative to
upper and lower wings 192, 194, upper and lower wings 192, 194
shift fore-aft (see fore-aft axis F/A in FIG. 1A) and move
vertically relative to each other between a maximum vertical
dimension, in the flight mode depicted in FIG. 7B, and a minimum
vertical dimension, in the compact storage mode depicted in FIG.
7A. Aircraft 190 may be locked in the open and the closed
articulations using locking features of pivot joints 204 and/or
pivot joints 206. Otherwise, aircraft 190 is substantially similar
to aircraft 10.
Referring next to FIGS. 8A-8C, an unmanned aerial vehicle is
depicted and referred to herein as aircraft 220. Aircraft 220 has a
modular airframe that incorporates upper wing 222 and lower wing
224 connected by a network of pylons. Upper and lower wings 222,
224 each have an airfoil cross section and may have a generally or
substantially planar lower surface. In the illustrated embodiment,
forward pylons 226, 228 extend between forward sections of wings
222, 224, aft pylons 230, 232 extend between aft sections of wings
222, 224 and intermediate pylons 234, 236 extend between forward
sections of wing 222 and aft sections of wing 224 to provide
structural integrity to aircraft 220. In the illustrated
embodiment, upper and lower wings 222, 224 are substantially
parallel and pylons 226, 230, 234 are substantially parallel with
pylons 228, 232, 236 such that the airframe has a substantially
rectangular cross section. Aircraft 220 has a two-dimensional
distributed thrust array including four propulsion assemblies 238,
240, 242, 244 that are independently operated and controlled by the
flight control system of aircraft 220. In the illustrated
embodiment, two propulsion assemblies are operably associated with
each wing 222, 224 to provide vertical lift for aircraft 220 in the
vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) orientation of aircraft 220, as
best seen in FIG. 8C, and forward thrust for aircraft 220 in the
forward flight orientation of aircraft 220, as best seen in FIGS.
8A-8B.
Pylons 228, 232, 236 are secured to upper wing 222 and lower wing
224 at an array of connection points, which include connections
depicted as threaded fasteners 250, 252, 254, 256. A corresponding
array of connections 258, 260, 262, 264 secures pylons 226, 230,
234 to wings 222, 224 on the opposite side of aircraft 220, as best
seen in FIG. 9. Even though the connections between the pylons and
the wings of the present embodiment have been depicted and
described as threaded fasteners, those of ordinary skill in the art
will recognize that the pylons and wings of other embodiments may
be secured by any suitable fastening method without departing from
the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
Referring additionally to FIG. 10, therein is depicted a plurality
of wing modules each having a respective function that may be
interchangeably used as the upper and lower wings of the modular
airframe to provide rapid and efficient customization of aircraft
220 for various missions. For example, wing modules 222, 270, 272
may represent a plurality of upper wing modules and wing modules
224, 274, 276 may represent a plurality of lower wing modules. The
functionality of the plurality of upper wing modules and the
plurality of lower wing modules may vary according to the specific
mission to which aircraft 220 may be assigned. This allows upper
and lower wing modules to be "mixed and matched" to quickly
optimize aircraft 220 for a specific mission. For example, the
plurality of upper wing modules and/or the plurality of lower wing
modules may include individual wing modules with specific
functionalities such as navigation system wing modules, autonomous
navigation system wing modules, remote navigation system wing
modules, sensor system wing modules, communication system wing
modules, cargo storage wing modules, flight control system and
electric power system wing modules and combinations or permutations
thereof including wing modules having more than one
functionality.
In one implementation, aircraft 220 may require a navigation system
wing module as the upper wing module. In this case, the upper wing
module selected from the plurality of upper wing modules may have a
general purpose navigation system therein. The general purpose
navigation system may provide a certain degree of remote control,
along with a certain degree of autonomous operation, thus being
capable of operating in either mode, but not optimized for either
role. Alternatively, for a mission in which aircraft 220 may
require specialized navigation capabilities, the upper wing module
selected from the plurality of upper wing modules may be a remote
navigation system wing module optimized for remote control, with
limited autonomous capability, if any. On the other hand, the upper
wing module selected from the plurality of upper wing modules may
be an autonomous navigation system wing modules optimized for
autonomous navigation, with limited remote control capability, if
any.
In another implementations, aircraft 220 may require a sensor
system wing module as the lower wing module. In this case, the
lower wing module selected from the plurality of lower wing modules
may incorporate a combination of visible and infrared cameras,
radio antennas and similar sensors to acquire general data about
the current operating environment. For certain missions, however,
optical data may be the critical data and other signals may be
unimportant. In this situation, the lower wing module selected from
the plurality of lower wing modules may incorporate one or more
specialized, high-resolution cameras mated to high-magnification
lenses. In an alternate mission, radio data may be critical, while
optical data may be unimportant. In this situation, the lower wing
module selected from the plurality of lower wing modules may
incorporate one or more high-gain antennas tuned to the frequencies
of the radio signals to be acquired. The use of the modular
airframe of the present disclosure thus facilitates quick and
efficient mission specific optimization of aircraft 220. As should
be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art, the modular
airframe of the present disclosure provides any number of
combinations, permutations and/or variations depending upon the
mission requirements.
Those of skill in the art will appreciate that, although the
modular concept using interchangeable wing modules has been
described in connection with rigid connecting pylons for the sake
of simplicity, there is nothing within the spirit and scope of the
present disclosure requiring the wing modules to be limited to such
constructions. For example, any of the special-purpose wing modules
depicted in FIGS. 8A-10 may be incorporated into any of the
articulable aircraft depicted in FIGS. 1A-7B.
The internal structure of one embodiment of a wing 300 is depicted
in FIG. 11. Wing 300 and/or the components parts thereof may be
used with any aircraft embodiment discussed herein. The upper and
lower skins have been removed from wing 300 to reveal wing
substructure as well as the avionics 302 and other systems
incorporating various functions of the aircraft. These systems may
include, but are not limited to, a flight control system, an
electric power system, a navigation system, a communication system
and a sensor system, as examples. The function and interaction of
these modules is described in detail below.
Referring additionally to FIGS. 12-13, these block diagrams show
certain operational components of an unmanned aerial vehicle and
the interconnections therebetween. Those of skill in the art will
understand that these components may apply to any of the aircraft
depicted and described in the present disclosure. Further, those of
skill in the art will recognize that these components may, and
often will, be housed in separate wing modules. As described above,
the navigational components may be housed in one wing module while
the sensory components may be housed in a separate wing module. The
foregoing description is directed to the assembled aircraft as a
whole.
Referring specifically to FIG. 12, an unmanned aerial vehicle is
depicted and referred to herein as aircraft 310. In the illustrated
embodiment, aircraft 310 has a two-dimensional distributed thrust
array including four propulsion assemblies 312, 314, 316, 318 that
are independently operated and controlled by the flight control
system of aircraft 340, such as a digital flight control computer,
that preferably includes non-transitory computer readable storage
media including a set of computer instructions executable by one or
more processors for controlling the operation of aircraft 310.
Flight control system 340 may be implemented on one or more
general-purpose computers, special purpose computers or other
machines with memory and processing capability. For example, flight
control system 340 may include one or more memory storage modules
including, but is not limited to, internal storage memory such as
random access memory, non-volatile memory such as read only memory,
removable memory such as magnetic storage memory, optical storage,
solid-state storage memory or other suitable memory storage entity.
Flight control system 340 may be a microprocessor-based system
operable to execute program code in the form of machine-executable
instructions. In addition, flight control system 340 may be
selectively connectable to other computer systems via a suitable
communication network that may include both wired and wireless
connections.
Flight control system 340 is operably associated with an electric
power system 342, which may incorporate batteries and a power
controller. Preferably, the batteries are rechargeable batteries
and/or easily replaceable batteries that provide aircraft 310 with
thirty to sixty minutes or more of flight time at tens or hundreds
of feet in the air. Electric power system 342 provides electrical
energy to the various systems of aircraft 310 including propulsion
assemblies 312, 314, 316, 318, flight control system 340,
electronic speed controllers 344, 346, 348, 350, a navigation
system 352 such as a GPS module, a communication system 354 and a
sensor system 356. Flight control system 340 of aircraft 310 may be
operated responsive to autonomous flight control, remote flight
control or a combination thereof. For example, flight control
system 340 may use waypoint navigation to follow a trail of
preprogramed waypoints to accomplish a desired mission.
Alternatively or additionally, flight control system 340 may be
operated responsive to assisted manual flight based upon commands
received from a ground station via communication system 354 using a
wireless communications protocol. During assisted manual flight,
aircraft 310 may be limited to flight within a line of sight
communications range.
In the illustrated embodiment, sensor system 356 is controlled by
flight control system 340. In other embodiments, sensor system 356
may utilize an independent control system. Sensor system 356 may
include a sensor array having one or more of an optical camera, a
thermal camera, an infrared camera, a video camera, an
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance module and/or other
desired sensors. For example, sensor system 356 may include a
forward pointing camera and/or a downward pointing camera when
aircraft 310 is in the flying wing orientation. Sensor system 356
may provide real time images and/or video to the ground station via
communication system 354 using a wireless communications protocol,
which may be useful when aircraft 310 is operated as a soldier
borne sensor. Alternatively or additionally, sensor system 356 may
capture and store information during a mission for download after
the mission.
In the illustrated embodiment, flight control system 340
communicates via a wired communications network with the various
systems of aircraft 310. In other embodiments, flight control
system 340 could communicate with the various systems of aircraft
310 via a wireless communications network. During flight
operations, flight control system 340 sends commands to electronic
speed controllers 344, 346, 348, 350 such that each propulsion
assembly 312, 314, 316, 318 may be individually and independently
controlled and operated. In this manner, flight control system 340
is operable to individually and independently control the operating
speed of each propulsion assembly 312, 314, 316, 318.
Propulsion assembly 312 includes electric motor 320 and rotor
assembly 322, propulsion assembly 314 includes electric motor 324
and rotor assembly 326, propulsion assembly 316 includes electric
motor 328 and rotor assembly 330 and propulsion assembly 318
includes electric motor 332 and rotor assembly 334. Each rotor
assembly 322, 326, 330, 334 is coupled to an output drive of a
respective electrical motor 320, 324, 328, 332 that rotates the
rotor assembly 322, 326, 330, 334 in a rotational plane to generate
thrust for aircraft 310. In the illustrated embodiment, rotor
assemblies 322, 326, 330, 334 each include two rotor blades having
a fixed pitch. In other embodiments, the rotor assemblies could
have other numbers of rotor blades greater than two. Alternatively
or additionally, the rotor assemblies could have variable pitch
rotor blades.
Flight control system 340 may autonomously control some or all
aspects of flight operation for aircraft 310. Flight control system
340 is also operable to communicate with remote systems, such as a
ground station via a wireless communications protocol. The remote
system may be operable to receive flight data from and provide
commands to flight control system 340 to enable remote flight
control over some or all aspects of flight operation for aircraft
310. The autonomous and/or remote operation of aircraft 310 enables
aircraft 310 to perform unmanned logistic operations for both
military and commercial applications.
Referring additionally to FIG. 13 in the drawings, a block diagram
depicts aircraft control system 370 operable for use with aircraft
310 of the present disclosure. In the illustrated embodiment,
control system 370 includes two primary computer based subsystems;
namely, an autonomous system 372 and a remote system 374. As
discussed herein, the aircraft of the present disclosure may be
operated autonomously responsive to commands generated by flight
control system 340. In the illustrated embodiment, flight control
system 340 includes command module 376, monitoring module 378 and
controllers 380 such as a power controller and electronic speed
controllers 344, 346, 348, 350 discussed above. It is to be
understood by those skilled in the art that these and other modules
executed by flight control system 340 may be implemented in a
variety of forms including hardware, software, firmware, special
purpose processors and combinations thereof.
During the various flight operating modes of aircraft 310,
monitoring module 378 may receive feedback from the propulsion
assemblies 312, 314, 316, 318, controllers 380, electric power
system 342, navigation system 352, communication system 354 and/or
sensor system 356. This feedback is processed by monitoring module
378 to supply correction data and other information to command
module 376 and/or controllers 380. Sensor system 356 may include
altitude sensors, attitude sensors, speed sensors, environmental
sensors, fuel supply sensors, temperature sensors and the like that
provide additional information to monitoring module 378 to further
enhance autonomous control capabilities.
Some or all of the autonomous control capability of flight control
system 340 can be augmented or supplanted by remote flight control
system 374. Remote system 374 may include one or more computing
systems that may be implemented on general-purpose computers,
special purpose computers or other machines with memory and
processing capability including, for example, a tablet computer.
The computing systems may include one or more memory storage
modules including, but is not limited to, internal storage memory
such as random access memory, non-volatile memory such as read only
memory, removable memory such as magnetic storage memory, optical
storage memory, solid-state storage memory or other suitable memory
storage entity. The computing systems may be microprocessor-based
systems operable to execute program code in the form of
machine-executable instructions. In addition, the computing systems
may be connected to other computer systems via a proprietary
encrypted network, a public encrypted network, the Internet or
other suitable communication network that may include both wired
and wireless connections. Remote system 374 communicates with
flight control system 340 via communication system 354 over a
communication link 382 that may include both wired and wireless
connections.
Remote system 374 preferably includes one or more display devices
384 configured to display information relating to or obtained by
one or more aircraft of the present disclosure. Remote system 374
may also include audio output and input devices such as a
microphone, speakers and/or an audio port allowing an operator to
communicate with, for example, other remote station operators.
Display device 384 may also serve as a remote input device 376 if a
touch screen display implementation is used, however, other remote
input devices, such as a keyboard or joysticks, may alternatively
be used to allow an operator to provide control commands to
aircraft 310.
The foregoing description of embodiments of the disclosure has been
presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not
intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise
form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in
light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of
the disclosure. The embodiments were chosen and described in order
to explain the principals of the disclosure and its practical
application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the
disclosure in various embodiments and with various modifications as
are suited to the particular use contemplated. Other substitutions,
modifications, changes and omissions may be made in the design,
operating conditions and arrangement of the embodiments without
departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Such
modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments as
well as other embodiments will be apparent to persons skilled in
the art upon reference to the description. It is, therefore,
intended that the appended claims encompass any such modifications
or embodiments.
* * * * *